with very hairy legs, who as a patrol-officer or cadet was guide to R. D. Hoogland, CSIRO botanist, in 1954 (or 53-- in Ru's first year in the field). Griffin was with him four months. They went into the Biniguni area. In drizzlind rain we started about 9 o'clock to walk inland to the camp of Dick Gladstone, who was re- ported to have a house on Mt. Sisa (1400 ft.) which might suit us as a collecting base. Followed the old main road which led to the numerous mines which were worked in the interior. Good graded track, narrow but passable for heavy motor vehicles. reached Kulumalia (Gladstone's place) in an hour; about a 1/2 mile to the left from the main road, an altitude of about 500 feet. In fairly heavy rain most of the time after we entered the mountains. Small, native-built house; quite comfortable, and apparently well supplied. Gladstone a powerfully built, smady haired man of 50; energetic and intelligent; apparently fairly well educated. Mrs. G. a very bright faced woman, seemingly happy with her lot. Young Jimmy, about 8, seemingly the only child. We had beer, morning tea and lunch, and were offered the Mt. Sisa house and transportation to it from Bwagaois. Returned to the coast by a route which led direct to the sea down the valley of the main creek of these parts. About 2 1/2 miles to the Methodist Mission at Loaga, thence probably about three miles east to Bwagaia. No rain after about noon. A considerable amount of boggy sage swamp in the lower part of the valley. Between the Mission and Bwagaia a sizable coconut plantation owned by the half caste sisters Coppard. Very little primary forest between Bwagaia and Kulumalia; great abundance of treeferns, a scrambling of Gleichenia, and a big-leaved vine of the Convolvulaceae in the regrowths. Some good looking forest just above Kulumalia on the mountains; Other forest greatly damaged by the cyclone of 1952. No primary forest seen on the cost. All coral limestone (saw the entrance to one cave in a sinkhole). Patches of open grassland (Themeda) and a sort of Melaleuca savanna with very thick-boled low trees. Gladstone reported to be quite prosperous. Worked for the Kulumalia Mine (owned by a New Zealand company) before the war; he and his wife were here for the evacua- tion in 1942). Returned after the war to reopen Kulumalia on his own account. This a failure. Then worked a very rich show on the north side of Mt. Sisa (Mararoa) from which he took Ll6,000 in less than two years. Now working a small mine about 1 1/4 miles from his home up the Mt. Sisa road; apparently paying well. Employs 9 boys and has a battery. Monday July 16: Heavy SE wind all last night; sharp shower before daylight. Were blessed with good weather for our move into the maountains. Hastily organized three weeks food and ample collecting supplies and about nine o'clock left Bwagoiai with all gear and about half the boys on a 3-ton trailer towed by a 16 ph Ferguson tractor. Transport outfit the property of Dick Gladstone. who drove most capably on the narrow road. Some of the small wooden bridges barely strong enough to carry the weight of the trailer, which often lurched alarmingly and made crashing noises on the culverts. An occasional push necessary by the boys. Reached Kulumalia about 9:45 and had the inevitable morning tea before proceeding further. This last six miles on the road (total of about 9 miles from Bwagaia) pro- vided some hard going and frequent pushing. Road had been surfaced with crushed stone for about 8 miles to the junction of a road which went to Cuthbert's Mine (Mona?), but the surface had been washed off in places, and where the ground underneath was the red- dish porphry (sic) which carries the gold it was very slippery. Unloaded about onethird of the cargo at the road junction and went as far as we could with the rest, at a place where the trailer and tractor could be turned separately. Much labor where there was a small landslip and a bid dead tree over the road. A final carry of about 1/2 mile from where the cargo was dumped (two loads from the road junction). By dark everything was in the Mararoa house, and our ten boys about done for. No time for them to put up a fly, so they slept in the house with us.